'Bunker' earns 15.5-minute ovation at Venice Film Festival as Penélope Cruz breaks down in tears

Florian Zeller’s Bunker received a 15.5-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday, with stars Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem among those attending the premiere.

Cruz started crying during the reception and kissed Bardem, her husband and co-star. She also mouthed “Thank you!” to fans and stopped to shake hands with an audience member before leaving the Palazzo del Cinema.

The response made Bunker the film with the longest reported ovation at the 2026 Venice Film Festival so far. It fell short of the 17-minute reception for Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door at the festival in 2024.

Bunker stars Cruz and Bardem as Sofia and Miguel, a married couple living in London with their children.

Miguel, an architect, agrees to build a survivalist bunker for Andrew, a technology billionaire played by Paul Dano. The project creates tension in the couple’s 17-year marriage as Sofia begins questioning their shared values.

The cast also includes Patrick Schwarzenegger, who plays American novelist Jeremy Gray, as well as Dano. Zeller directed the film and co-produced it with Federica Sainte-Rose, while Fernando Bovaira and Simon de Santiago also produced.

Zeller told Variety before the festival that Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut was a key inspiration for Bunker. He said he wanted to use Cruz and Bardem’s real-life relationship to create a connection between fiction and reality.

“I loved 'Eyes Wide Shut,' this ambivalent proposition presented to the audience where you're not quite sure what you're being invited to watch,” Zeller said.

With Bunker, Zeller also explores extreme wealth, isolation and the impact of socio-economic anxieties on relationships and families.

Sony Pictures Classics acquired North American rights and other territories, with plans for an awards-qualifying run later this year before a US theatrical release in early 2027.